Xref: utzoo comp.sys.atari.st:33954 comp.sys.atari.st.tech:1134 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!mcsun!ukc!axion!uzi-9mm.fulcrum.bt.co.uk!beta.its.bt.co.uk!jvt From: jvt@its.bt.co.uk (John Trickey) Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st,comp.sys.atari.st.tech Subject: Re: Background Running Programs (was Re: background downloading) Message-ID: Date: 15 Jan 91 10:28:40 GMT References: <1991Jan08.032028.23947@ecst.csuchico.edu> <20338@netcom.UUCP> Sender: isode@fulcrum.bt.co.uk (Isode Hackers) Distribution: comp Organization: BT Applied Systems, Birmingham, UK Lines: 35 In article ralph@laas.fr (Ralph P. Sobek) writes: > >In article <20338@netcom.UUCP> seitz@netcom.UUCP (Matthew Seitz) writes: >| >| I prefer using STalker with Shadow. STalker without Shadow has two >| limitations: >| >| 1. Background downloading only works if the foreground program is a >| GEM program. >| If you run a TOS program, background downloading stops. > >I have already noticed this before with other programs. Why does a >background running program stop when one runs a TOS program such as >GULAM, and not when one runs a GEM program? Can this be avoided? > >I use FORMAT.ACC (Broddelformat) which unfortunately pauses when GULAM >is running, even if GULAM is just sitting there. GEM is multi-tasking (not in the unix way), TOS is not. As GEM does not have a scheduler which is interrupt driven it relies on calls to dispatch other processes. This gives the appearance of background running where in effect the background tasks are only run when the main application has made a GEM call (to get a char, update the screen etc) A shell uses only TOS calls so this cannot happen - hence no background tasks. However having said that, I notice that Mupfel occasionally allows my background clock to run. John -- John Trickey || ..!mcsun!ukc!axion!its G4REV @ GB7SUT Voice: +44 21 333 3369 #include